Alan Whicker, 87, dies of pneumonia
BROADCASTER Alan Whicker has died at the age of 87.
The star - whose career spanned over 50 years - passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday, after suffering from bronchial pneumonia.
Mr Whicker was one of the most popular broadcasters of his time, working and travelling the road for both the BBC and other independent TV networks, probably best known for Whicker's World, which ran from 1959-1990.
Alan Donald Whicker was born in Cairo, Egypt, on August 2 1925, but moved to England as a young child on the death of his father.
He served as a captain during the second World War, but joined the Army Film and Photo Unit in Italy in 1943.
After the war he became a journalist and broadcaster, acting as a newspaper correspondent in the Korean War, during which he was mistakenly reported as having been killed.
He joined the BBC in 1957 and was a reporter for the famous Tonight programme. Soon after that he began his Whicker's World series, which over the years consistently claimed a place in the top 10 ratings.
Whicker was awarded a CBE in the 2005 New Year Honours list for services to broadcasting. He had lived in Jersey and is survived by his long-standing partner Valerie Kleeman.